Cob: clay mortar &stucco question

[Patrick Newberry]

Actually from what I understand, hard and firm is not always best in an
earthquake situation. In this case maybe it absorbs a lot of the energy
of a quake. For example if you take a  sledge hammer to a cob wall, 
it will have a very dull thud as most of the sock of the hammer is 
easly abosrbed by the relatively soft walls of a cob house. Try the same

thing with a brick wall and wall will not absorb as much of the blow. 

Or something like this. 

Pat
http://www.gnat.net/~goshawk
 




You can scratch out the mortal with a  fingernail, but who would? very
little erosion over the last 150 years..and in an earthquake area like
here...that's saying something too.

about Clay and bool, bools are usually rounded river stones  which were
used a lot in Scotland to do a slip form type wall, and bedding in clay
worked.

Charmaine Taylor
www.dirtcheapbuilder.com